


i think i have a crush

by dollcloud



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Crushes, Developing Relationship, F/F, First Dates, Flirting, Fluff, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-27 08:53:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8395348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dollcloud/pseuds/dollcloud
Summary: Blue and Yellow end up going on vacation to the same place at the same time. A series of misadventures occurs, resulting in a single kiss and a lot of cheesy romance.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Here is a ridiculous but cute Jadeshipping story I wrote over the course of a week or so. I stuck as many bad romance cliches as I could into this one. There are a few swears but nothing really worthy of a content warning. ^_^ Might be out-of-character; I tried my best but it's been a while since I've read PokeSpe.

Nothing’s more awkward than planning a vacation that just so happens to be at the exact same time and place as another friend’s outing. Technically, a vacation should be a time to enjoy yourself and not worry about such things, but Blue is now stuck sitting next to her somewhat-friend Yellow on the magnet train ride from Johto to Kanto. They had both, it seems, decided to take a break from all of the ‘nonsense’ (as Blue describes it) going on in Hoenn to spend some quality time closer to home. 

They sit an arm’s length from each other. Yellow’s sitting on her hands awkwardly, listening to music from an old mp3 player. She doesn’t know Blue very well. The girl is a year and a month or two older than her- best known for pulling the strings behind her first quest, but she can’t say she resents the other girl for it. ( _She thinks that Blue’s the coolest trainer she’s met; she’s really pretty too. She’s more powerful than the boys and she’s good at tricking people._ )

Blue doesn’t know Yellow very well. Sure, she might have been an instrumental part in her plans to find Red, but the two haven’t talked much; only a few whispered sentences and a lot of hurried glances. ( _However, the girl might be one of the cutest people she knows; she’s painfully empathetic and perpetually tired, with blonde hair cut right above her ears._

\--

The train ride is halfway over- the vibrations of the car against the earth shake the cabin ever so slightly, and Yellow’s eyes are already half-closed. She’s inching closer and closer to Blue, who pats her shoulder lightly, jolting her awake.

“I haven’t seen you in a while.” Blue’s eyes glisten. ( _She looks like she’s plotting something, Yellow thinks._ )

“I h-haven’t seen you either. Since we were frozen--” Her voice is shaking, just a little bit.

Blue turns around to face her and leans her face on a gloved hand. “What have you been doing?”

“Nothing really- I haven’t done anything. Actually, I went biking all around Hoenn before I left-- never mind.”

“That’s fun,” Blue smiles wide, catlike. “I liked Hoenn, but it was too hot for my tastes. I had fun in Mauville, though.”

“O-oh. It was nice. I thought the region was really pretty.”

“Say, do you want me to get you anything from the dining car?”

“Sorry, I didn’t bring any money.” She’s blushing.

“No problem. I’ll find something for you.”

\--

Yellow’s temperature has risen by 5 degrees in the time that the other girl is gone. ( _Firstly, she’s pretty, and secondly, she’s smooth- she talks so easily- she doesn’t stutter at all!_ ) It feels almost like she’s gotten a personal appointment to talk to God, or at least sit next to her on a two-hour train ride. 

Blue comes back quickly, holding two cans of a soda and a chocolate bar. Her high-heeled boots clunk on the ground ever so softly. 

The soda’s still cold when she hands it to Yellow, spotted with little drops of condensation all over. “I hope strawberry is okay with you, dear.” The blonde’s so startled at being called “dear” that she drops the can onto the ground, and it rolls across the car with a clunk. 

Before she knows it, there are two cotton-white gloves rustling her messy hair. Blue laughs, “I’m sorry. It was a joke- I can’t help it!” 

“S-sorry! I’ll pay you later, I promise.”

“Silly, I didn’t pay for them in the first place.” Blue sits down next to her and slips the wrapper off the candy bar, breaking it in half. “Oh, would you like some of this?” 

“N-no, thank you!”

\--

The train eventually arrives in Saffron and the girls filter out, caught up in a rush of people hurried to get to jobs and meetings. The station smells heavily of sweat and trash, and Yellow finds herself unintentionally pressing up against Blue to avoid being torn away by some foreign businessman.

Once they’re outside, they move to the right of the station, where there’s a little alcove in-between the glass waiting dock and the forest that borders the city. 

“Excuse me…” Yellow murmurs.

“Yes?” 

“C-can I have your Pokégear number? Just in case I get lost or-- Well, I don’t think I’ll get lost because I grew up in Kanto-- or something else happens-”

“Of course.” Blue slides her thin, modern-looking ‘gear out of her pack, and the first thing Yellow notices is that it’s adorned with several cute phone charms and stickers. “Oh, I just registered you. Call me whenever you need some assistance,” she grins, “I charge--”

Noticing the other girl’s panicking look, she stops and giggles. “Of course I won’t charge you to call me, cutie. It’s a great deal- an expert’s advice for free! Oh well, see you soon.”

“G-goodbye!”

As her friend walks off, Yellow sits herself against the blue fence lined up against the forest. (It’s close enough, she thinks.) The vines have grown into the metal railing, rubbing against her too-big boots and oversized varsity jacket. 

She pops her balls out of her knapsack, releasing Ratty into her lap. He’s grown quite a bit, and although his face looks threatening, his heart is soft. He nuzzles against her coat, chirping happily with his teeth.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Ratty. The train ride must’ve been uncomfortable for you.”

Yellow is glad that today’s breezy, for it helps cool her racing heart. ( _Nothing’s harder than having someone talk to you, and it’s even worse when they’re cool and pretty._ ) She needs to practice having conversations; it’s good that Blue is such a natural socialite, because otherwise she would have had to bore her with tales of bike-trips and soggy french fries.

\--

It’s almost dusk by the time Yellow starts walking to Cerulean. Red told her that he had an old friend who might let her stay there for the first night; really, her whole plans were just a jumble of maybes and coulds. ( _Oh well, it’s fine. It would be boring if it was too structured, and at least I don’t have to spend much money this way._ )

The house she spends the night at is actually quite nice; the owners were out, but they left a note telling her it was alright for her to sleep there. The bed is soft and the sheets are made of cotton. The window is left open, revealing a bright sky covered from east to west in pinpricks of light. ( _If you look close enough, they’re in the shape of a girl’s face._ )

Blue spends the night sleeping on some guy’s roof. He has no idea that she’s there, or at least, she can hope. The exhaust fan is warm, and the summer night isn’t too chilly in the first place. She lies on her back and looks at the stars, spread across the sky in a puzzle of white and black. The Pokémart across the street gives everything a blue-glow, with its 24-hour sign rotating long into the night. ( _I can’t see too many stars. This city is pretty dirty._ )

With a Pokégear in one hand and the remnants of a candy bar in the other, she sends goodnight texts to four different boys and seven girls, including Yellow. Infuriatingly enough, as she begins to drift off to sleep, she finds herself thinking about the girl’s soft face. ( _Something about her naiveté is actually pretty charming._ ) 

\--

As soon as the sun rises, Yellow is out of bed and slipping down to the shores of Cerulean, where she dips her toes in the water, hums, and picks flowers from the banks. The water’s edge is dotted with marsh bellflowers, which she collects into little bouquets. 

She tries to write, but comes up short- her mind feels almost numb, and she can’t seem to focus on anything. There’s this sort of residual feeling of missing something big, of expecting something grand, but she can’t remember it at all.

With a sigh, she stands up to return to the town square. The edges of her frayed jeans are spotted with water and grass. However, before she can make it far, her bag starts to shake with the force of a ringing Pokégear. 

Blue’s on the other end. “Hey, Yellow,” she says, “Good morning. I was wondering if you could meet me in Cerulean.” Her voice is bright and cheery- she must’ve slept well.

“Sure- I’m in the city right now!”

“That’s great. Can you meet me by the fountain, pretty-please?”

\--

Blue’s sitting next to the fountain, running her fingers through soft hair, by the time that Yellow makes it there. She greets the other girl with a wave, who makes a motion inviting her to sit next to her on the shined marble bench.

As soon as she sits down, she’s greeted by a spray of water from the fountain. The older girl laughs lightly. “You can sit on the other side if you’d like,” she pauses, twirling brown hair, “I heard that there’s someone in this town who’s very experienced with crushing berries. The powder can even be used as currency.”

“Really?” Yellow’s eyes are glowing. She’s always liked collecting berries from other regions, which don’t grow well in Kanto.

“You’re a dork,” Blue smiles, but she doesn’t look rude- it’s actually kind of endearing. “I was joking. I wanted to know if you’d like to come to the Cerulean Cape with me. It’s very pretty.”

\--

“This bridge is nice. I wonder if it’s coated with real gold. I’d scrape some off and take it if I could.”

Yellow’s walking a few steps behind Blue, who’s sliding her hand along the handrail. She’s more interested in the turquoise water below- it’s lapping against the piers with the most lovely sound. It feels warm and welcoming, and the early summer weather certainly helps.

It’s only a few minutes before the couple is walking through the groove that marks the end of the path. To Yellow’s embarrassment, she’s pulled in closer to Blue by the narrow route through the trees. Her hand brushes against the other girl’s thigh, and she pulls back with shock and apologizes quickly. 

“No need.”

The trees part and Yellow’s mouth drops open- she can’t help but be excited with now beautiful this region is. They’re standing on a little hill at the end of the cape that overlooks the ocean; light brown rocks face into the soft blue waves of the southern sea. The sound of the water is so calming and rhythmical. 

The sky’s a strange shade of yellow-orange-blue, but it just looks so lovely. Little white puffs of clouds dot it, forming shifting shapes. In awe, she inches just a bit closer to the other girl, brushing against her black skirt.

“It’s quite pretty, isn’t it? I haven’t been here in a while,” Blue is the first to speak, “People say this place is great for dates.” A cough, a lipstick smile. “See you later, I hope.” 

It isn’t until Blue leaves that Yellow realizes what she means. She loses her footing and ends up tripping on her feet, turning bright orange. 

\--

Blue spends the afternoon at the casino in Celadon- it’s just a few minutes from Cerulean, and she figures it’s the most lively place in Kanto, a region which is not exactly known for its nightlife.

The game center is bright pink and red, with vintage bowling-alley style floors and children’s arcade games against one wall with slot machines lined against the other.

She scores herself a free soda from the man serving the bar and winks at him almost automatically, and she compliments the girl serving the tables on her appearance, earning a blush or two. 

At first, Blue spends a good 2000P on tokens for the arcades and regrets it almost immediately. She spends twenty minutes playing the old pinball machines and sidescrollers before becoming agitated with a steady streak of losses. The girl moves to the ufo-catchers and wins several plushies, including a fat and adorable Pikachu, ( _I bet Yellow would love him._ ) an adorable-looking Pidgey, ( _It reminds me of Yellow a bit._ ) and finally a series of characters from a children’s show. ( _They’re really cute, just like-- Damn it!_ ) 

She sits down at the bar for a talk with a boy she’s just met (and doesn’t quite remember the name of), but her usual ways of information-mining are interrupted, and she finally realizes why she feels so out of it. She’s always prided herself on her ability to flirt with almost everyone- it may be a bad habit, but it is certainly a longstanding one. For her, the idea of dating someone is scary, because then they’re all you have- and it’s too easy to make a mistake. ( _Am I really ready to love someone?_ ) 

( _Enough with this pseudo-intellectual bullshit. God, I think I have a real crush._ )

\--

Yellow spends the night in Vermillion, hanging a hammock between two trees positioned against the city and the water. She’s found the perfect place- a little groove on the eastern side of town. The girl can just barely see the dock through the thick dusk mist; the faint lights and sounds of cargo ships passing by comforts her. 

The sunset is bright orange, vibrant and shining, bathing all of the houses in the most gorgeous shade of amber. ( _Vermillion is known for its sunsets, I remember. I travelled here when I was younger to watch them… I should show them to Blue sometime, but I’m sure she’s seen it before._ )

The gentle lulling of the waves makes her incredibly sleepy, and it’s not long before she drifts off, yet the picturesque scene is easily ruined when, five minutes after midnight, her Pokégear rings, shocking her so much she tumbles onto the ground and rolls down to the edge of the water.

“Hey, Yellow!”

“Hello,” Yellow mumbles, still half asleep. “Wher’ you?”

“I don’t know where to spend the night. I’m in Celadon right now.”

“What?!”

“Can I come and say hi to you? Hey! Don’t hang up on me.”

“I-I’m in Vermillion City. Where have you been?” She’s about to tell the other girl about how it’s important to get at least nine hours of sleep a night, but she resists- barely.

“I was out on the town. I’m coming over right now!”

Blue hangs up abruptly, leaving the other girl confused and half-soaked, lying in the dirt. Before she can do anything, there’s a big, round, pink pillow next to her head- Oh, wait, that’s a Jigglypuff. It must be--

“Hey, girl! What are doing buried in sand?”

“I just woke up.”

“Have you been sleeping on the beach? Oh, there’s a hammock here. Don’t mind if I do.”

She slips into the hammock, which is quite small. “There’s space for you too if you’d rather sleep up here.”

“N-no thank you. I think I’m fine here…”

Yellow tries to fall asleep on the beach, but it’s hard; the sand is rocky and coarse, and her clothing is still damp from her mishap earlier. The other girl is snoring loudly, too, but it’s almost cute. ( _She looks exhausted. I wonder what she was up to._ ) 

When Yellow wakes up after the worst sleep of her life, there’s sand all over her mouth and in her hair, and the tide has risen- it’s lucky she wasn’t dragged out to sea. And Blue’s still wiped out, with an awful case of bedhead to boot; her brown hair is sticking in every direction, plastered with drool to her face. 

\--

Blue wakes up three hours later, and the day has already half-ended- the sun’s high in the sky and the summer heat is polarizing. However, the other girl is still there, sitting at the edge of the water as she fishes and writes in a leather-bound notebook.

She sits up in the hammock and stops to brush sticky brown hair out of her eyes. 

“Yellow, is that you?”

“Good morning,” the girl turns around to face Blue, “I’m glad you’re finally awake!”

“Ah-ha. But why are you still here?” 

“I wanted to make sure you slept safely.” Yellow tilts her head & blushes. “Also, you’re kind of laying on all of my things.”

“Oops.” Blue’s mumbling- still sleepy and out-of-it, not to mention the tiniest bit embarrassing. ( _Turns out I’m not the best at plans._ ) “Well, consider it payment for our trip yesterday. See ya!” 

In just a blink and a half-wink, she’s off, leaving nothing behind but an assortment of candy wrappers. 

\--

Yellow decides to spend her second day in the seaside town of Fuchsia. Sure, she didn’t really spend much time there as a child; she’s more familiar with the northern and western parts of the region, but she knows that it’s beautiful and even more so, the trip there’s a welcome break.

Two hours after noon, she is trekking through the Rock Tunnel between Cerulean and Lavender, regretting her decisions immensely. It’s inky black and the floor is covered with loose rocks; every few steps she takes will end up in a faceplant or a fall off a ledge. Now, her legs and arms are covered with scratches, and she’s almost run out of water. Everything seems to run in a circle; she’ll beg and plead with some Hiker who’s desperate for battle, convince him that she prefers not to fight, and twenty minutes later, she’ll run into him again- everything’s the same, except he’s vaguely angrier. 

After wasting who-knows-how-much time walking in circles, giving up and sleeping, waking up and walking in circles again, she finally finds the exit. A short, meandering mountain path, luckily fitted with steps, leads to the next town. To Yellow’s dismay, the sun has already begin to set- there’s no way she can make it to Fuchsia before nightfall. 

She arrives in Lavender Town as soon as the sun sets. The small town is only composed of a few houses, and it has a sort of eerie air- almost anyone you ask will insist that it’s haunted. Everything has a purple, faded hue, and the houses are presided over by a tall tower made of layers and layers of graves. ( _Not exactly the most welcoming._ ) There’s only a sliver of light hidden behind the mountains that line the horizon; it must be around 7 o’clock. 

There are no townspeople wandering about, and there’s only three houses- one a volunteer center and the others boarded up- as well as a Pokécenter and a mart, although the mart looks to be closed; its lights are dim. A shiver runs down Yellow’s spine. ( _There is no way I’m sleeping in that tower._ )

She lays down against the cold wall of the Pokecenter; even though it’s a familiar building, it’s still weirdly uncomfortable, covered in chipping white paint which coats the grass. With shaking hands, the girl pulls out her gear and dials Blue’s number. ( _Maybe she’ll take mercy on me. I’ve always been afraid of the dark._ )

“Hey.”

“H-hello.”

“What’s the matter? Need some help?”

“I don’t have any place to spend the night.” 

“I’m in a bind, too,” she swears under her breath, “Route 12 collapsed, and the Underground Path is closed-off.”

( _Oh, well. There go my plans of making it to Fuchsia._ )

“I-I’m in Lavender Town. Are you near here?”

“Sweet! I’m just a few steps to the south. I’ll come and get you. Wait outside the center for me, okay?” Her voice sounds notably happier. 

Yellow hears the sound of footsteps coming nearer and nearing before she sees anyone approaching. In the inky darkness, it’s harder to see more than a foot or two in any direction. Before she knows it, Blue is right next to her. Although she’s smiling, her arms are covered in goosebumps.

“Hello, B-Blue.”

“Hi.”

“Could your Jiggly carry us to a city?”

“Nope, she fainted,” she reaches out to pat Yellow on the shoulder, “Some freak challenged me when I was making my way through the rock tunnel. And the center is closed, I see.”

“Oh.” ( _No wonder it was so cold._ )

“It’s fine, sweetie. We can always camp out in the town square.”

“What town square?”

“Oh, just over here is fine,” Blue stops to lay down in the grass outside of the house. She’s still wearing a bulky jacket and a black dress, but her legs are bare. The other girl can’t help but feel that she must be freezing.

“I only have an emergency blanket with me.”

“I’ve always got something up my sleeve.” She stops to open up the sleeve pocket of her jacket, which is stocked with a small selection of miniature supplies. 

“Here, this will be enough for both of us.” A small bag is unraveled by gloved hands, turning into a sparse wool blanket. 

“Both of us?”

“What, did you think we’d sleep on separate sides of town? I definitely don’t have enough supplies for that.” Blue laughs.

The smaller girl lies down first- the grass is damp and cold, but Blue’s blanket makes it a little more bearable. She snuggles up to her, wrapping her arms around her black turtleneck. The girl sleeps in a ball, like a big donut encircling Yellow- she’s almost a foot taller and slightly lankier. 

The first thing Yellow notices is that, even with just two thin blankets, their makeshift lodging is surprisingly cozy. The second is that Blue is really warm and dare-I-say cuddly, even though she’s discovered that she has a tendency to hold people tighter than necessary. ( _Her arms are wrapped too stiffly around my stomach, and her knees are pressed firmly into my groin…_ )

“D-do you think there are any ghosts here? I’ve heard stories about--”

“S---shhhh. If there are any ghosts, I’ll…. I’ll kill them…….fffor you.” Blue already sounds asleep.

“You can’t really kill ghosts.”

“Eh.” She buries her face into Yellow’s hair and starts to snore. 

\-- 

When Yellow wakes up ten hours later, she’s alone but not cold- there’s a scrap of paper with a note scribbled on written next to her, but Blue hasn’t taken her blanket. Embarrassingly enough, the townspeople have started walking about- it looks like she decided last night to lay down in someone’s patio. 

“You owe me for last night! Some old man trampled on my face before I could wake up. Don’t worry, I’m just kidding- you don’t owe me anything, except for hopefully meeting up with me this afternoon. I’ll be on Route 21. See you. <3”

The stationary is cute but her handwriting is messy-- the notecard is covered in glittering stickers pillaged from some poor convenience store. 

Instead of continuing her journey to Fuchsia City, Yellow decides to try to visit her hometown- a kind man with a Pidgey flies her to Pewter, where she treks to the start of the forest. It’s just as she remembers; humid and thick, but with a pleasant pine scent and wildflowers growing everywhere. Vines shaped like hearts grow into the grass and encircle themselves around trees, creating thick green walls. 

A small brook runs through the wood, surrounded by rocks on either side. It’s calm, but it feels lonely somehow- some of the life that used to grow here is gone. ( _I used to sit here and write when I was younger. No one has been here for a while._ )

She leans against the mossy rocks and dips tired toes in the stream, tilting her head back to look up at the sky. There’s not much you can see; much of it is obscured by the trees. However, the sky she can see is cloudy and wet. ( _It’s going to rain soon. I hope Blue’s okay with that._ )

The notebook is slipped out of her knapsack and she writes with all of the emotion she used to carry. Even if it’s not exactly the same, nostalgia is still powerful. Weedles and Pidgey cluster around her feet like they used to. ( _Maybe they remember me._ ) The sky is buzzing with bugs and birds. It feels most wonderfully alive. 

\--

The sky has started to drizzle, coating everything in a light mist. Blue doesn’t mind much, but she’s hoping that Yellow doesn’t mind either. It would be awful if something were to happen to her plans.

In the worst-case scenario, the most she’d need would be an umbrella-- and a nurse in Viridian City had kindly provided one, after a short conversation and a little bit of cheating. The girl is going over her plans in her head again and again, almost completely confident that they’ll succeed. All that’s left is for her to arrive. ( _I said Route 21, didn’t I?_ )

The rain has steadily increased, and soon enough, it’s a veritable downpour. After twenty or so minutes of waiting in the tall grass south of Pallet Town, Blue jumps the face and starts walking into town. 

There’s an extremely soggy girl making her way slowly but surely in her direction. It’s Yellow, soaked to the bone, with her short blonde hair plastered down her face. The other girl runs to her and slips her thick coat over her bony and goosebumped shoulders. 

“Oops. Looks like I had a stroke of bad luck.”

“It-it’s fine.” Yellow tries her best to not shiver.

“Come with me. I can show you someplace we can warm up,” she pauses, “This is my hometown, you know. Though I don’t remember it well.”

“Thank y-you.”

Blue leads her to a small alcove under a rock, and sure enough, it’s still dry enough. Yellow shimmies into the space, pressing her body into the leaf-bed. It’s only summer, but the ground is already soft with dead plants. 

“There’s only space for one of us. You can sit here until you warm up; consider it a favor from a local!” 

As the other girl warms up, she crouches outside, holding her umbrella in one hand. “I want to take you to Cinnabar. You haven’t been there in a while, but a volcano erupted and all of the houses are covered with basalt now. Makes for a nice view! And, of course, the sunset is gorgeous from the crater.” 

“I-I don’t know if I want to go in an active volcano's crater.”

“Psh, it’s fine. I’ve taken plenty of people up there. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes.”

The two walk southward to the water’s edge, where Blue releases Blasty. The rain is still heavy, but the umbrella manages to block most of it. She climbs on first and pulls Yellow on his shell afterwards; it’s spiky, but stable, at least. As they set off from the shore, she wraps her arms around the other girl to secure her. They begin to rock steadily as the girls ride on the surf along Route 21.

The trip is dotted by islands and sandbars; the ocean is incredibly shallow here, and the recent eruption has made it even more so. Yellow grits her teeth as Blasty’s shell scrapes against the rocky bottom. ( _It feels like it hurts._ )

The sky is thick with fog. It almost feels like swimming through a cloud; the water is cold and salty and the air is dripping with moisture. Cinnabar is barely visible in the distance, just a pale shape on the horizon. Despite the bad weather, Blue feels as warm as ever. Yellow swears that she can feel her heartbeat as she presses against her shoulder. 

“It’s not too bad,” Yellow whispers, nuzzled within her coat. 

\--

They stop on a little island, barely larger than a house, dotted with strange rocks and sparse vegetation. Blue sits down and leans against the rubble, pulling her coat- and the other girl along with it- into her arms.

“Do you fancy a cookie? I ‘found’ some before we left.”

“Of course,” Yellow reaches her arm out to take one, “They’re still warm. Thank you.”

The pair snacks together, silently, looking out over the stormy sea. It’s not awkward or uncomfortable, though- in fact, it’s rather peaceful. 

When they return to the ocean, the rain has decreased to a meager drizzle and the day is a little bit warmer. Yellow swears that she can see the sun poking over the horizon, and they both hope she’s right. 

It’s not long before they arrive against the shores of the island. It’s rocky and fragmented- in fact, streams of volcanic rock reach all the way down to the ocean. Blue thinks it looks almost like someone dripped basalt chocolate sauce on the island, but who is she to complain- it’s much easier to dock now that the rock is smooth. 

The girls climb off of Blasty’s shell; Yellow pats him in thanks and nuzzles her head against his spiky coat. It’s only a short climb to the crater, but it’s a tough one nonetheless. 

“Hurry up! Let’s hope the rain doesn’t start up again,” Blue starts up the cliff. 

“Wait for me!”

The cliffs are rough, but luckily there’s some support: the volcano just erupted last year, but moss and lichen has already started to creep up the bare rock. Blue tries to stay behind Yellow, for she’s almost worried that the girl is going to get spooked and fall right off, and there’s no way she’s going to let that happen.

“We’re almost there.”

The shorter girl is already breathing heavily. She’s not used to climbing, especially over such rough terrain. (I just want to melt into the ground. I’m really tired.)

\--

By the time they reach the top, she’s changed her mind. It’s definitely worth it. The crater is small, with barely a ten-foot radius- they can sit comfortably on the edge. To her south, Yellow can see all of Kanto and even the edges of Johto, sitting firmly on the horizon. The blue sea below them is a sparkling, turquoise colour; she swears she can see swimmers practicing in the open ocean. 

Blue, for her part, is excited that the clouds have finally parted; the ever-present mist has faded, and she can see farther than she ever remembers. Seeing the whole world spread out like this, as if it’s a piece of artwork, is really breathtaking.

“I’m glad I could see this with you.” Yellow’s the first to speak.

“Of course,” Blue’s usual joking manner has faded- she sounds almost worriedly serious. “Hey, I wanted to tell you somethi--

“Look! There’s a rainbow over there, right over Mt. Silver,” The other girl points to the middle of Kanto, where a little rainbow, small but intact, is present. Its colours are surprisingly bright- it must have been ushered in by the rain. 

( _Why is this so hard? I swear I’ve done this millions of times, but-_ ) 

“It’s really beautiful. I wanted to say that- that I want to,” She takes the other girl’s hand and squeezes it gently, “I want to come here again with you.”

“So do I. I want to- uh,” Yellow turns bright red, covering her face with her hands. “I want to see you more-- I want,”

“Hey.”

The other girl gulps nervously.

“I like you a lot,” Blue starts, “and I want to hug you and-”

“I like you too!” She accidentally yells too loud- her voice sounds fragmented and chalky. “I-I’m sorry, Blue.” Yellow feels like she’s going to cry- nothing is more awkward than confessing a crush. 

Blue turns around to face the other girl directly, still holding a shaky hand. She leans in and places her lips lightly on her cheek, leaving a little peach-coloured lipstick stain. 

“Can we come here again together?”


End file.
